Election: Parkman Township Fire seeks first new levy in nearly 30 years

Parkman Township residents are being asked to go to the polls Nov. 5 to approve a five-year, 1-mill replacement levy for fire services.
Originally passed in 1984, the current 1-mill levy costs taxpayers $10.89 annually per $100,000 in residential property and yields $25,556 a year.
The replacement levy would cost residents $35 annually — or $24.11 more a year — per $100,000 in residential property to generate $67,773, according to the Geauga County Auditor’s Office.
The money would not be collected until January 2015.
Parkman Township Volunteer Fire Chief Wayne Komandt said this is the first replacement levy the department has ever tried to pass.
“The fire department has not had any increase in funding since 1984,” he said. “Since 1984, we have yearly stayed within the funds that have been allocated to us by the voters and also have saved enough money to purchase new fire apparatus and maintain fire apparatus without going to the voters for any additional funds.
“But it’s getting very hard to do that, almost impossible.”
When the original levy was passed, officials needed just $20,000 a year to maintain equipment. Now, they need $80,000 set aside, the chief added.
“We have put off and delayed other things that we should have been doing,” said Komandt.
If the levy passes, the chief said the department plans to update their self-contained breathing apparatus and other equipment.
If it fails, they will be forced to live with outdated equipment, he said.
“We’re finding it very hard to do everything with the same funds we have been receiving since 1984,” Komandt said.
There are 1,782 eligible voters who can decide the issue, according to the Geauga County Elections Board.
The department is made up of 24 volunteers. The chief is the only paid employee, receiving a salary of $5,000 a year, according to Parkman Township meeting minutes.

Komandt said any resident with questions on the levy can call him personally at 440-548-2515 or visit him at the station at 16299 Main Market Road.